Walter woke up wet, his clothing soaked through and clinging to him. That was not how he had expected to wake up, hell he hadn’t expected to wake up at all. He went to bed firmly believing he wouldn’t open his eyes again and it had brought about an odd sense of calm. An odd sense of peace that can only be found when walking when walking a knifes edge and not knowing what would happen when and if you slipped. It had brought with it a freedom that he had not felt in a long long time, if ever.

So when he slowly opened his eyes and saw… Nothing and he was lost. There was no loving family, no highway to hell, and most assuredly no stairway to heaven.  Instead there was blackness. A void. And it left Walter confused by the darkness that surrounded him. Confused by blackness so deep that it defied his mind and terrified him on a primordial level, his brain sending him into a panicked overdrive. Or at least it would have if not for the second thing he noticed.

Because as terrifying and unknowable as that darkness was it was the pressure that sent his mind into spirals. So much pressure that he could not move his limbs or shift his head. Like the hand of god gripped him and had started to squeeze. He had wanted to scream then but as he opened his mouth water the temperature of blood rushed into his mouth cutting off any attempt to give voice to his fear. 

What… What’s happening here?

His internal voice sounded oddly calm to him, even as he tried and failed to thrash about and break free of the force that held him firm. 

Why don’t I feel like I'm drowning? How am I even still conscious? What’s going on?

He knew on a fundamental level that his body should be craving oxygen. Hell he could feel the tepid water in his lungs even now, it was a visceral sensation. One that he knew should bring pain in one form or another. But oddly enough it didn’t. Other than his inability to move he felt fine. Better than fine even. He wasn’t in pain. His mind wasn’t clouded. He might have been locked in his own body like it was a prison at the moment but at least he wasn’t suffering. It was in a word, refreshing if a tad terrifying to be sure. 

And then suddenly there was light, almost blindingly bright given the darkness that had surrounded him but heartbeats before. The void around him suddenly illuminated, and filled with shadows and darting shapes. And the closer he looked, the clearer he saw the more he wanted to tear his eyes from his skull and let his sanity shatter into a million tiny pieces. For what he saw there were no words for. No way to comprehend the chaos of the beings or being he saw. 

It was massive. He knew that. How massive was a question Walter couldn't answer as for some reason his mind could not put limits on it. It was everywhere about him, in him even, holding him in place even as his fruitless struggles against the forces that held him finally ended.

 Who was he to struggle against something so overwhelming? Walter felt as if he was nothing when confronted with this thing. This horror. This… God?  Less than nothing. He felt as if he was about to be unmade. His history erased. His mind and presence wiped away. And then it spoke. It’s words. Its voice felt more than heard. They slithered through his mind, over his body, and into his soul. Oddly modulated, as if hundreds if not thousands of creatures where speaking the same words at exactly the same time.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

"WALTER WILLIAM WARD I SEE YOU, I KNOW YOU, YOU ARE A VICTIM OF NEGLECT, YOUR SOUL RAVAGED BY LONGING.  YOUR DEATH WILL BE NETHER SWIFT NOR PAINLESS. YOURS IS A DEATH MARKED BY ACHING NEED SO IT MUCH LIKE YOUR LIFE FALLS WITHIN OUR DOMAIN."

The water shifts and dis embodied eyes swim and ungulates forward. They come in all sizes, in all shapes, the only thing in common among them is their focus. Which was on Walter.

"WE ARE THE STARVED ONES. WE ARE THE DROWNED GODS.  WE ARE THE NEEDLE THAT ENTERS YOUR VEIN AND GIVE YOU SWEET RELIEF ONLY TO LEAVE YOU HUNGRY. WE ARE THE LOVER THAT SPURNS YOU FOR ANOTHER. WE ARE DESPERATION GIVEN FORM. WE ARE STARVATION GIVEN SENTIANCE. WE ARE BOUNDLESS HUNGER. WE ARE LIFE'S GREATEST FEARS. WE ARE WHAT DRIVES LIFE TO DO BETTER. AND  YOU WALTER ARE MARKED BY OUR TRIBULATIONS. STARVATION AND A NEED SO GREAT THAT YOU WERE CALLED HERE TO OUR REALM. YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN. YOU HAVE BEEN CURSED. SO WE ASK YOU A QUESTION. WILL YOU BARGAIN WITH US, WALTER WILLIAM WARD?"

For the first time since his arrival he questioned his sanity.

 Am I going crazy? But no… people crazy enough to hallucinate this wouldn't be lucid enough to question it, would they? Safer to think this is real anyways.

The water moves and somehow Walter knows that he can speak. That his voice would be heard and for the first time in a long time he laughs. 

“I don’t see why not, I’m dying and honestly anything you have to offer would be better than the hell I was living through. What are we bargaining about?”

Why aren't I afraid? I should be pissing myself but… I Just can’t bring myself to care. Which is a good thing at this point I think. Concerning but good. 

The eyes grew closer circling Walter faster and faster as he spoke. Excited. Agitated. Lost in thought. Honestly he had no idea what was going through the creatures mind. All he knew was that he was being offered a chance to be something more than what he was and he would be a fool to deny it.

The horror sighed, there was no mistaking that sound even coming from a thousand seperate directions and voices.

 “ WE OFFER YOU POWER. WE OFFER YOU LIFE. WE OFFER YOU A SECOND CHANCE AND FREEDOM FROM YOUR PAIN AND SHAME. ALL WE ASK FOR IN RETURN IS SERVICE. ALL WE DEMAND IS YOUR FATE. DECIDE.”

Being some kind of lacky for a being he couldn’t really comprehend didn’t sound too bad at that point. Hell if it came with power and a second chance at life how could he say no? Anything was better than laying trapped in bed for years on end. Trapped in his own mind, unable to even speak with the nurses that took care of him. So he spoke the very first words that came into his mind then, hoping against hope that he wouldn’t fuck himself.

“Why the hell not. It’s not like I have much to lose.”

The eyes stopped suddenly and something invisible wrapped around his face as his jaw was forced open. 

“THE BARGAIN IS STRUCK. POWER FOR SERVICE. FREEDOM FOR YOUR FATE.”

The voice rang with finality and something slithered into Walter’s mouth and down his throat and all he could do was scream. But no one that cared was there to hear him. Then almost as if in response to his screams a word’s appeared in his vision. Not obscuring it, just making themselves known and no matter where his frantic eyes jumped the word’s followed.

____________________________________

NEW QUEST: ( GIVING UP THE GHOST)

You have bargained with a strange and powerful being in the hopes of securing a better future for yourself. To bad you didn’t ask for specifics before agreeing 

* Objective: Retain ownership of your body and soul during the merging

* Reward: Unknown